Final draft

Analysis of “Nuns Fret Not” by WIlliam Wordsworth

Everybody has their role and place in society. They are bound to something and meant to do it. To others it may seem torturous but to that individual it is what completes their life. They are perfectly content with their job and they do it well. In the poem, “Nuns Fret Not”, author William Wordsworth expresses his belief that people will not be happy until they feel like they have a job to do and can therefore properly integrate into society. He further elaborates upon this idea by saying when people have ‘too much liberty’ they will be unhappy as well because solace is found in work. Throughout his poem, Wordsworth explains the values that a structure has on it’s members and even to himself.

Wordsworth starts off the poem with his metaphor of nuns simply to show that even the “extreme” side of the confined spectrum can appreciate their roles. Obviously nuns do not lead exciting lives but they find peace with just doing their jobs. This is a great example of how one of the worst jobs to most is comforting to a nun. He further relates this to hermits and shows that even the life of a hermit can be fulfilling. Although they may live by themselves and are completely away from all human contact, they are perfectly happy or in the words of Wordsworth, “Contented with their cells”. On the third line he address the job of the student. A student must have extreme discipline to accomplish tasks and receive high marks. Although the job of the student would seem like a complete bore they are also content with “...their pensive citadels (line 3)”. These 3 places in society are probably the most confined but to those in them they do not feel this way. A nun enjoys serving god just like a hermit likes to be alone and a student enjoys learning.

Next Wordsworth talks about maids and weavers. On the outside these would seem like the most boring and meticulous jobs but to the workers it is almost soothing. He shows this even on a deeper level with his rhyming by sticking with the set pattern the whole way through the poem. He even states that the maid and weaver are ‘blithe and happy’, which also can be shown by the light hearted and upbeat tone of the poem that Wordsworth maintains even when talking about boring and uneventful jobs. Their jobs are exactly the same day in and day out but they find peace in the routine. It allows them to focus and be productive because they don’t have to think about what to do just like how Wordsworth puts it that too much freedom puts a weight on your shoulders.

Towards the middle of the poem he explains that this contentment with a set role proves not only true in our society but for nature as well. With the metaphor of the bees looking for flowers he talks about how they will search for flowers and then gather pollen for hours at a time. However it is simply just what they do and it is their duty to the colony, just like ours to society, and they are content with that. Bees don’t know any better than to just do the same thing everyday but they are more than content with that. It is what their colony/society needs to function at its best. Bees flying around with no flowers in sight or pollen to gather look restless and lost much like how we feel when we have too much freedom and therefore no role in society.

The fact that the poem is a sonnet is symbolic of the poem in its self. Sonnets have structure and set rules just like the different types of people in Wordsworth’s poem. For this he uses the fairly traditional Petrarchan/Italian sonnet where the rhyming works out to be in the form abbaabba cdecde or the 8-6 pattern. He also uses a volta, or turning point of the poem, at around the 8th line which is also very standard. While he is talking about finding solace in structure he is not just reffering to others but also to himself. It is almost like he feels like the structure of the sonnet takes the weight off his shoulders as a poet. He is more than happy to stay within the lines and to just express his thoughts. Wordsworth knows that if he had more ‘liberty’ he would have too many ideas and would not be as effective as a poet. He shows that a poet must first embrace the disciplined format of the sonnet in order to be effective.

Although at first glance the poem seems to relate finding the joy in confinement only to the work of others, Wordsworth is showing this value of discipline in his own work of sonnets. The metaphor of nuns, hermits, students, workers and bees simply gives the poem’s reader something to relate to. These jobs may seem like an imprisonment from the outside perspective, it is actually where those individuals find their nirvana. Without a job or task to accomplish the individual will feel meaningless. They will never be able to obtain an inner peace unless they find their perimeters to work within. A person without a role is like the bee with no flower, lost and unhappy.

Wordsworth himself admits to liking the rigid structure of the 8-6 sonnet and finds peace writing within its tight boundaries. The form actually allows him to play within it and still allows for his creativity and personality while at the same time channeling his ideas. In lines 10-11 he confesses, “In sundry moods, ‘twas pastime to be bound/ Within the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.” He uses this adjective of sundry, meaning various, to show that he truly does not feel tied down at all when writting in the structure of the sonnet. Wordsworth shows that writing in form doesn’t necessarily have to lessen the poet’s creativity. In truth poets gain freedom by not having to worry about creating their own rhyme and form. Even though from the perspective of a non poet the sonnet structure would seem like a ‘scanty plot of ground’ is what Wordsworth feels brings out his best and makes him content. People will remain unhappy and lead unfulfilling lives until they can strive and explore the boundaries within their own structures.

Essay Draft

Everybody has their role and place in society. They are bound to something and meant to do it. To others it may seem torturous but to that individual it is what completes their life. They are perfectly content with their job and they do it well. This can range anywhere from nuns to farmers to poets. In the poem, “Nuns Fret Not”, author William Wordsworth expresses his belief that people will not be happy until they feel like they have a job to do and can therefore fit into society. He further elaborates upon this idea by saying when people have ‘too much liberty’ they will be unhappy as well because, according to him, solace is found in work. Throughout his poem, Wordsworth explains the values that a structured society has on it’s members and even to himself.

The fact that the poem is a sonnet is symbolic of the poem in its self. Sonnets have structure and set rules just like the different types of people in Wordsworth’s poem. For this he uses the fairly traditional Petrarchan/Italian sonnet where the rhyming works out to be in the form abbaabba cdecde or the 8-6 pattern. He also uses a volta, or turning point of the poem, at around the 8th line which is also very standard. While he is talking about finding solace in structure he is not just reffering to others but also to himself. It is almost like he feels like the structure of the sonnet takes the weight off his shoulders as a poet. He is more than happy to stay within the lines and to just express his thoughts. Wordsworth knows that if he had more ‘liberty’ he would have too many ideas and would not be as effective as a poet.

Wordsworth starts off the poem with his metaphor of nuns simply to show that even the “extreme” side of the confined spectrum appreciate their roles. Obviously nuns do not lead exciting lives but they find peace with just doing their jobs. This is a great example of how one of the worst jobs to most is comforting to a nun. He further relates this to hermits and even students. These 3 places in society are probably the most confined but to those in them they do not feel this way. A nun enjoys serving god just like a hermit likes to be alone and a student likes to study. The intro of the poem relating to these three positions starts off the poem in a very somber mood.

Next Wordsworth talks about maids and weavers. On the outside these would seem like the most boring and meticulous jobs but to the workers it is almost soothing. He shows this even on a deeper level with his rhyming by sticking with the set pattern the whole way through the poem. He even states that the maid and weaver are ‘blithe and happy’.Which also can be shown by the light hearted and upbeat tone of the poem that Wordsworth maintains even when talking about boring and uneventful jobs. Their jobs are exactly the same day in and day out but they find peace in the routine. It allows them to focus and be productive because they don’t have to think about what to do just like how Wordsworth puts it that too much freedom puts a weight on your shoulders.

Towards the middle of the poem he explains that this contentment with a set role proves not only true in our society but for nature as well. With the metaphor of the bees looking for flowers he talks about how they will search for flowers and then gather pollen for hours at a time. However it is simply just what they do and it is their duty to the colony, just like ours to society, and they are content with that. Bees don’t know any better than to just do the same thing everyday but they are more than content with that. It is what their colony/society needs to function at its best. Bees flying around with no flowers in sight or pollen to gather look restless and lost much like how we feel when we have too much freedom and therefore no role in society.

Even though the jobs of nuns, hermits, students and bees may seem like an imprisonment from the outside perspective, it is actually where those individuals find their nirvana. Without a job or task to accomplish the individual will feel meaningless. They will never be able to obtain an inner peace unless they find their perimeters to work within. A person without a role is like the bee with no flower, lost and unhappy. Wordsworth himself admits to liking the rigid structure of the 8-6 sonnet and finds peace writing within its tight boundaries. The form actually allows him to play within it and still allows for his creativity and personality while at the same time channeling his ideas. He shows that writing in form doesn’t necessarily have to lessen the poet’s creativity. In truth poets gain freedom by not having to worry about creating their own rhyme and form. Even though from the perspective of a non poet the sonnet structure would seem like a ‘scanty plot of ground’ is what Wordsworth feels brings out his best and makes him content. People will remain unhappy and lead unfulfilling lives until they find their “flower”.

Poetry?

After reading Pound's poem, I was intrigued. There are several reasons why I consider it to be poetry. First of all, it's deep metaphorical symbolism and imagery left some code-cracking for the reader. To me this was a very dark and somber poem. The Metro stands for a dark and lifeless underground where there is no escape. While the faces in it are considered to be apparitions because they are dead and expressionless. I believe he has the faces in a crowd because to him everybody is the same and nobody stands out. There is no individuality and therefore everybody in the station is blurred together so no distinctions can be made. Everybody in the "Metro" seems to be trapped and hopeless. 

In the second  line, Pound uses petals which can symbolize death because in the fall they fall off and die. He also says they are wet which, to me, conveys the message that they are heavy and burdened giving them a droopy, tired and almost weathered appearance. Much like the people in the subway the petals have been beaten by the harshness of life. The final words, "wet, black bough" left the reader with a depressed feeling as well. With the last two words both starting with b's it greatly emphasized the harshness of the poem.

Originally Pound's poem was around 30 lines. He ended up destroying it to create this much shorter version managing to capture 2 beautifully simple lines. Even though it is so abrupt I still consider it to be poetry. Sure it doesn't follow traditional format but with it's rich imagery and symbolism it seems obvious that it is poetry at it's finest. After all in order to describe such a bleak and empty scene there shouldn't be much to say. The two lines is a perfect length to get his message across to the reader. 

diving into the wreck

One of the first images that I saw was a lonely woman deep sea diving by herself. Upon arriving at the scene of the "shipwreck" the image of the broken ship and rotting boards become prevalent. Damage is a recurring image throughout the poem and this can be seen when she describes the  scene as "threadbare", "drowned", "half destroyed", "water-eaten" and "fouled".

Upon first reading this poem I thought it was about a woman who had been through a lot in her life and was reflecting upon her past. I thought the damage was about her broken heart, possibly from a bad relationship. I felt as if she were almost suicidal in parts of it, especially when she talks about putting on the mask and "blacking out". I felt as though the shipwreck was simply her own life that had sunk to the depths and she was searching for the light. She needed to visit the ship to see for herself and to come to terms with her hardships. It seemed to me that this interpretation was only logical especially after reading the first stanza and realizing that she was on the boat alone.

After reading the poem a second time I came up with a more universal interpretation. I saw the wrecked ship as a representation of our society. I believe she is questioning society and what is gong on. I think she feels alone and on the outside. This is why she is circling above the ship while she hopes to find t"treasure" which I believe to be a metaphor for her place in society.

In the last stanza she talks about a book of myths in which "our names will never appear". I interpreted this as her opinion that peoples views on society are very mythical and that in reality there is a lot wrong with our societal structure. If everybody could just take the time to see the shipwreck than society would be a lot better off.